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Raiders To Trade DE Maxx Crosby To Ravens For Two First-Round Picks

By | at March 6, 2026 11:10 pm

After speculation earlier today that the Ravens were making a push for Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, a deal has reportedly been made. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Las Vegas has agreed to send Crosby to Baltimore in exchange for the Ravens’ first-round picks for the next two years. The trade cannot be officially processed until the new league year starts next week, but the agreement appears to be in place.

It had been reported that the Ravens were one of a few teams making a strong push for Crosby, and about half an hour ago, NFL insider Jason La Canfora relayed that the Ravens weren’t just interested here, they were “desperate for an impact (defensive) lineman.” It was actually in this post from La Canfora that it was first reported that Baltimore was willing to deal two first-round picks.

That news, by itself, was headline-worthy. A franchise notorious for the way it builds through the draft, the Ravens had never — in their short, 30-year history — traded a future first-round pick — let alone two — in exchange for a player. The closest such situation came all the back in 2003, the only other time the team gave up a future first-round pick. They gave their 2004 first-rounder to the Patriots in order to move back up into the first-round, after having taken Arizona State record-setting pass rusher Terrell Suggs at No. 10 overall, to select Cal quarterback Kyle Boller with the 19th pick that year.

This should speak volumes about how badly the Ravens felt they needed to acquire Crosby. It was only a year ago that Baltimore finished just behind Denver for the most sacks in the NFL thanks to breakout performances from veteran Kyle Van Noy and fourth-year pass rusher Odafe Oweh who combined together to take down the quarterback 22.5 times. This year, the Ravens held the third-lowest sack total in the league. Van Noy missed a couple games and Oweh was traded to Los Angeles after only five, but the two defenders’ sack total in Baltimore this year was 2.0.

Perhaps even more detrimental to the Ravens’ pass rush in 2025 was the season-ending loss of defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike. The second-team All-Pro tackle suffered a Week 2 neck injury that not only sidelined him for the remainder of the year but also put Madubuike’s long-term future in question. It’s been six months since the disruptive lineman went down, and with the team still not able to offer a positive update on the matter, reports of Baltimore’s desperation for an elite defensive lineman and today’s subsequent trade may spell out the worse for Madubuike.

With the future of the Ravens pass rush looking as dour as it ever has, what better gift could new head coach Jesse Minter be presented with than Crosby? Minter’s defense is Los Angeles last year saw much more success than Baltimore’s, even getting 7.5 sacks out of Oweh, who was sackless before getting traded. Minter also got to see Crosby up close and personal three times during his tenure as defensive coordinator for the Chargers. One has to imagine Minter had some influence on the decision to pursue the AFC West star.

Trade interest in Crosby dates all the way back to 2023. Having just signed a four-year, $94MM extension of his rookie contract, Crosby delivered a breakout season, notching 12.5 sacks and a league-leading 22 tackles for loss. During another lost season in Las Vegas, the vultures circled over Crosby around the trade deadline, but the Raiders rebuked all advances. In an effort to endorse then-interim head coach Antonio Pierce for the official job, the fiercely loyal Crosby threatened to request a trade should Pierce not be retained.

When the trade deadline rolled around the next season, and Pierce’s 2-4 start as the full head coach had the vultures circling again, the team had to fight off trade inquiries once again. In the offseason last year, trade interest once again swirled around Crosby and the Raiders, but ultimately, the team signed him to a new three-year, $106.5MM extension keeping him under contract through the 2029 NFL season. For the third trade deadline in a row, though, Vegas had to continue to deny that Crosby was available.

Things took a turn for the worse near the end of the season when, in an attempt to secure their best chance at the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Raiders shut Crosby down for the final two games of the regular season. In response to hearing his team’s decision, Crosby immediately exited the facility, and it was reported that he would evaluate his future in Vegas. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, that decision by the Raiders “soured his belief that Las Vegas was the right place for him.” Ever the loyal teammate who once had claimed hopes of finishing his career with the Raiders, Crosby did not publicize his trade requests as the Raiders muddied the waters to maintain leverage in trade negotiations, even though both sides “knew that Crosby’s future was sealed back in mid-December.”

A year after having signed his extension, Crosby finally will get traded. It had been reported that the Raiders were looking for a Micah Parsons– or Khalil Mack-level package in exchange for Crosby. In regard to Parsons, that meant two first-round picks and an impact player, while Mack was traded — along with a second- and fifth-round pick — for two firsts-, a third-, and a sixth-round pick. There were rumored contenders in Super Bowl participants Seattle and New England, but early thoughts were that the Parsons/Mack-like asking price was too high.

The Raiders didn’t feel a need to lower the price, though. They felt that, as interest in Crosby grew and the pressure to offer just a bit more continued to increase, someone would eventually meet the price they needed to hear to pull the trigger.

The Bears and Cowboys entered the fold, and it was disclosed that the Ravens joined the chase a few days later. It simply came down to the fact that Ravens were the first to breach the threshold of two first-round picks, which was apparently, all the Raiders were actually looking for. The Cowboys reportedly were only willing to offer a first- and second-round pick, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, despite holding two Day 1 selections after the Parsons deal. According to Russini, the Jaguars also attempted to get in the mix, but the lack of a first-round pick this year — from the trade up to draft Travis Hunter — prevented them from putting together a competitive offer.

In exchange for finally making this trade, the Raiders have put themselves in excellent position for a reboot in 2026. They now hold the Nos. 1 and 14 picks in the upcoming draft, and according to Vincent Bonsignore of the California Post, the effects of the Crosby trade and the eventual release of quarterback Geno Smith will put Las Vegas at a league-leading approximate $127MM in cap space. With a fresh staff under newly hired head coach Klint Kubiak and all signs pointing to the arrival of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the first pick of the draft, the Raiders are as primed as they’ll ever be to make the turnaround of the century.

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Ravens, Cowboys, Bears Among Top Maxx Crosby Suitors; Others Still In Play

By | at March 6, 2026 2:11 pm

2:11pm: Mentioned previously as a team to monitor with regards to Crosby, the Bears are still believed to be in the mix. Chicago joins Baltimore and Dallas here, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes. The Bears and Raiders swung the Khalil Mack trade nearly eight years ago, though that was with Ryan Pace and Jon Gruden steering those ships, and Chicago appears interested — despite its Dayo Odeyingbo 2025 signing — in adding an impact edge rusher opposite Montez Sweat.

Las Vegas is believed to have received “multiple strong offers,” according to veteran insider Jordan Schultz. Those teams are waiting on the Raiders, per Schultz, though Jones indicates no trade is imminent.

11:34am: One of the stop storylines around the league remains a situation tied not to upcoming free agency but rather a potential blockbuster trade. Maxx Crosby is still in place for the Raiders as things stand, although that could soon change.

Recent reports have labeled at least 12 teams as being interested to one extent or another. As the new league year approaches, a shorter list of finalists figures to emerge. On that note, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports the Ravens and Cowboys are among the suitors to watch closely as it pertains to Crosby. Colleague James Palmer adds two other teams in particular are firmly in the mix as well.

Vegas has been linked to an asking price matching what the Cowboys received in the Micah Parsons trade. That would require a pair of first-round picks along with a player heading back to the Raiders. No team has been willing to meet that demand yet, but interest remains very high. SportsBoom’s Jason La Canfora adds Baltimore is currently making a “concerted push” to acquire the five-time Pro Bowler. According to multiple officials La Canfora spoke with, the Ravens are prepared to trade the 14th overall pick in April’s draft along with Day 2 capital in a Crosby trade.

GM Eric DeCosta has made a number of high-profile trades during his tenure, taking that route to acquire the likes of Roquan Smith, Marcus Peters and Calais Campbell over the years. A lack of pass rush production was a major issue for Baltimore in 2025, leaving additions on that front as an obvious offseason priority. Free agency will present DeCosta with a number of possibilities, but the most impactful move possible would of course be a Crosby trade.

The Cowboys have previously been linked to the Raiders standout, so today’s update comes as no surprise. Dallas’ production off the edge in 2025 was hindered by the Parsons trade, and a quartet of incumbent players (Jadeveon Clowney, Sam Williams, Dante Fowler and Payton Turner) are pending free agents. Multiple additions could be coming soon as a result, but none would be more substantial than a swap yielding Crosby.

Owner Jerry Jones has stated an abnormal willingness to be aggressive on the open market. That could of course include one or more big-ticket deals in free agency, and a number of recent restructures has given Dallas a degree of cap flexibility. The Cowboys made a splash on the trade front in November by adding defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, and the Parsons swap has left them with two first-round picks in 2026. Parting with one of them as part of a Crosby package could allow for a high-profile EDGE acquisition to pair with Williams along the interior.

Raiders GM John Spytek offered a public expectation to keep Crosby – who will turn 29 in August and whose contract runs through 2029 – in place when speaking at the Combine. Nevertheless, he is listening to offers. The Ravens and Cowboys (not to mention to remaining finalists) will be worth monitoring over the coming days as Spytek weighs his options.

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Bills Inquired On Eagles’ A.J. Brown; Patriots, Ravens In Play For WR?

By | at March 5, 2026 8:03 pm

Days before free agency’s outset, the Bills made an early strike by agreeing to acquire D.J. Moore from the Bears. This move cost a second-round pick , but it secured them a talented wide receiver — a former Joe Brady Panthers pupil — who is signed through 2029. Buffalo may not be done at the need area.

Before acquiring Moore, the Bills asked about a bigger fish. They are believed to have checked in with the Eagles on A.J. Brown, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane. Philly is eyeing a Quinnen Williams-type trade package, which would feature a first-rounder and a second — with the first potentially coming in 2027.

As Connor Byrne’s Eagles Offseason Outlook noted, the team owes Brown a $4MM 2027 guarantee on March 13. Moving on before that date would make the six-time 1,000-yard receiver responsible for that guarantee. While a $4MM number may not represent a good enough reason for the Eagles to make a hasty decision with their No. 1 receiver, plenty of smoke has emerged regarding a Brown relocation.

The Patriots and Ravens are viewed as the most likely destination for Brown, according to McLane, who adds the Eagles do not appear to be planning to trade their top pass catcher to an NFC team. It would be historically punitive for Philly to move on from Brown before June 1; that explains why the team is asking for a monster trade package — even when teams may be viewing the eighth-year WR to be worth a second-rounder-centered offer. With Moore going for what he did after a 682-yard season, Howie Roseman is unlikely to move off his asking price.

If Brown is still an Eagle next season, he will count an affordable $23.39MM against their salary cap. On the other hand, trading Brown before June 1 would level the Eagles with a 43.45MM dead cap charge, a record for his position. They would also lose $20.12MM in spending room.

The Eagles filled Brown’s contract with option bonuses, keeping cap hits low but increasing the damage in a trade this early in a through-2029 contract. An acquiring team would owe Brown $29MM guaranteed for 2026 and be responsible for the $4MM 2027 guarantee. That seems reasonable for a player of Brown’s abilities, even though the ex-Titans draftee has proven to be a high-maintenance weapon.

This marks the first Ravens-Brown connection. The team is not known for such splashy moves, and it has Zay Flowers contracted for two more years — once his fifth-year option is exercised. Baltimore also extended Rashod Bateman last year, giving him a three-year deal worth $36.75MM.

Flowers is also extension-eligible. Although the Ravens can backload a deal for the 2023 first-rounder, they also have a quarterback on a big-ticket contract to go with eight-figure AAVs at running back and tight end. The Ravens, as PFR’s Nikhil Mehta noted in his Offseason Outlook, will try to extend Lamar Jackson this year. A restructure would need to take place otherwise, as Jackson is due to count an untenable $74.5MM on the 2026 cap.

The Patriots do not have these issues. After the news of Stefon Diggs‘ impending release, the defending AFC champions no longer have a notable contract at receiver. Hunter Henry is signed to a team-friendly TE deal, while Rhamondre Stevenson is also south of $10MM per year.

Most importantly, the Pats have Drake Maye at a rookie rate. That will likely change in 2027, but such a deal can/will be backloaded. That opens the door for some spending, and the Diggs exit creates a major need. While a report indicated the Patriots may be unlikely to pursue big trades, that surfaced before the Diggs cut. Brown also spent three seasons playing for Mike Vrabel in Tennessee.

As for the Bills, Moore will join Khalil Shakir as Josh Allen‘s lead receivers. Buffalo may not be done, with Essentiallysports.com’s Tony Pauline noting the team plans to add another WR piece via free agency or the draft. The Bills are presently $31MM-plus over the cap, with restructures coming soon to reach compliance. The Moore contract will make matters a bit tight for the AFC East power to keep adding, but Pauline adds Romeo Doubs has been mentioned as a player the Bills are expected to target.

Ranked 11th among PFR’s top 50 free agents, Doubs brings an age advantage on fellow FA wideouts Jauan Jennings, Rashid Shaheed, Deebo Samuel and Mike Evans. While Alec Pierce will be the market’s top receiver, Doubs (26 in April) should do well next week. The four-year Packer has three 600-plus-yard seasons on his resume, including a career-high 724 (on 13.2 yards per catch) in 2025. The Bills will not be alone in pursuing the 204-pound WR.

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2026 NFL Top 50 Free Agents

By | at March 4, 2026 11:23 pm

While this year did not bring a record-setting salary cap spike, a $20MM-plus bump occurred for the third straight offseason and fourth over the past five years. We continue to see year-to-year leaps that dwarf what the 2011 CBA brought.

Now that the franchise tag application deadline has passed, a clearer picture of the 2026 free agent market emerges. The aim for PFR’s top 50 remains contract-based, but as our Offseason Outlook series has illustrated, numerous deals carrying creative vesting structures have seen players secure favorable guarantees without the full amounts being locked in up front. So, this year’s list leans a bit more toward total guarantees as opposed to upfront security.

Although players like Travis Kelce and Aaron Rodgers are bound for the Hall of Fame, they will not appear here. Big names are still present within this value-based collection, however. Players who could be released at the start of the 2026 league year – as likely post-June 1 cuts – or soon after are not included, only those out of contract for the ’26 season appear below. Teams have until 11am CT March 9, when the legal tampering period begins, to keep free agents-to-be off the market.

In Year 34 of full-fledged NFL free agency, here are the top options for teams to target once the legal tampering period starts:

1. Tyler Linderbaum, C. Age in Week 1: 26

The fifth-year option not being truly position-based affects a few of this year’s free agents, none more so than Linderbaum. Because all offensive linemen are grouped together under the tag formula, centers are almost never tagged. Few guards are. Linderbaum has presented the best case for a center tag in many years, and he is days away from bridging the gap that exists between the two interior offensive line positions.

There are seven guards earning $20MM per year, yet Creed Humphrey’s $18MM-AAV contract tops the center market. Only two centers (Humphrey and Cam Jurgens) earn more than $12MM – now that Drew Dalman surprisingly elected to retire and the Titans have cut Lloyd Cushenberry. Linderbaum will almost definitely become the NFL’s first $20MM-per-year center, and this free agency could remind of when Antoine Winfield Jr.’s 2024 Bucs extension briefly dragged the safety market past cornerback.

Baltimore has offered Linderbaum a market-topping deal, and after the Combine, the 2022 first-round pick likely knows his price range. The Ravens only have a few days left before ceding exclusive negotiating rights and losing the best center in team history.

The Ravens have seen four center Pro Bowl seasons in their 30-year history; Linderbaum has three of them (Jeremy Zuttah received the other). The Iowa alum has anchored the Ravens’ interior O-line, as the team continues to see guards come and go. Losing him would be significant for the AFC North franchise.

ESPN’s pass block win rate metric ranked Linderbaum fourth among all interior O-lineman last season; he ranked 13th in 2024. Pro Football Focus, conversely, has graded Linderbaum as a far superior run blocker. The agile lineman has certainly made a considerable difference for a run-reliant offense. The Ravens were able to keep Ronnie Stanley from testing free agency at the last minute in 2025, though the longtime LT was seeking a third contract. Will they do the same with Linderbaum?

Humphrey’s Chiefs deal includes just more than $50MM guaranteed in total. Tyler Smith’s $81.26MM number tops the guard market. I would expect Linderbaum’s guarantee to land closer to the Cowboys guard than the Chiefs center.

Corey Linsley set a center AAV record as a 2021 free agent; Linderbaum should blow the current mark out of the water. Citing cap inflation, Adam La Rose’s most recent PFR mailbag pegged a price around $21MM per year as realistic. In the event of a widespread bidding war, something close to Smith’s $24MM AAV could even be required to close this deal. With Humphrey, Jurgens and Frank Ragnow before them not testing the market when they signed big-ticket deals, future center extension aspirants may owe a debt of gratitude to Linderbaum moving forward

2. Alec Pierce, WR. Age in Week 1: 26

Like the changing of the guard the Colts observed when Michael Pittman Jr. usurped T.Y. Hilton in the wideout pecking order, Pierce made his case as Indianapolis’ WR1 in 2025. The former second-round pick ripped off his first 1,000-yard season despite the Colts splitting their final five games between Riley Leonard and a 44-year-old Philip Rivers at quarterback. Pierce paced the NFL in yards per reception for a second straight season, posting a 21.3-yard average a year after managing (somehow) a 22.3-yard number and 824 total with Anthony Richardson targeting him.

Richardson completed fewer than 48% of his passes that season, one of the least accurate starter slates this century, but Pierce (824 yards in 2024) continued his ascent from the Matt Ryan/Gardner Minshew years. He hit another gear in 2025 (1,003 yards in 15 games) and will benefit soon – from either a Colts re-signing or a big-ticket free agency deal. With George Pickens franchise-tagged, Pierce tops this year’s receiver market.

That is an interesting distinction for a player who has never caught more than 47 passes in a season. Pierce is maybe more high-end No. 2 than true No. 1, but this is typically the type of player who cashes in on the market. As Daniel Jones is the best quarterback Pierce has played with (with Ryan at the end by his Indianapolis stint), teams undoubtedly see growth potential in the deep threat.

Fifteen receivers are tied to $50MM guarantees; not counting Travis Hunter’s rookie deal, another six secured at least $40MM in total guarantees. Every player among that contingent caught at least 58 passes in a season before signing his second contract (11 recorded at least one 90-reception season). Of that group, all but two (Jameson Williams and Jerry Jeudy) had posted 70-catch seasons. Williams $66.13MM guaranteed without the benefit of free agency, while Eagles WR2 DeVonta Smith is at $69.99MM. Both may be better than Pierce, but the open market awaits.

Pierce’s Devery Henderson-like profile differs, making him an unusual player with regards to this WR salary bracket. But he will be able to infiltrate it soon. It will be interesting to see if the team that signs Pierce will call on him to be its lead wideout – the expected salary would make that likely – or cast him as a high-end complementary cog. The former second-round pick will soon be an outlier when it comes to reception volume among upper-crust WR earners.

3. Jaelan Phillips, EDGE. Age in Week 1: 27

This year brings a deep crop of free agent edge rushers. With this being a premium position, questions surround the lot of prime-years players available. Phillips is coming off a bounce-back season, once under-the-hood numbers are considered, and will garner considerable free agency attention. The Eagles were able to keep breakthrough linebacker Zack Baun from testing the market last year, but they are running out of time with Phillips.

Philly sent Miami a third-round pick for the rental rusher, and while he only finished his comeback season with five sacks, the 2021 first-rounder’s 35 QB pressures ranked 12th leaguewide. His pressure rate (18.8% — far north of Trey Hendrickson or Odafe Oweh’s 2025 numbers) ranked fourth among players with at least 250 defensive snaps.

Finishing a season healthy did maybe as much for Phillips’ stock, after he went down with Achilles (2023) and ACL (2024) tears. Phillips’ injury past stretches back to college, when he briefly retired from the sport after a concussion and other maladies (including some from a moped accident). A transfer to Miami, however, reenergized him.

The former five-star recruit landed on the first-round radar with the Hurricanes and showed plus form with the Dolphins, combining for 15.5 sacks over his first two seasons. Year 2 included a career-high 25 QB hits. The 6-foot-5 EDGE was on his way to a career-best season in 2023, tallying 6.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss in eight games. A Black Friday Achilles tear stalled his momentum, and a September 2024 ACL tear continued the midcareer misery.

Josh Sweat did not carry injury concerns and received “only” $41MM guaranteed in total from the Cardinals. That topped last year’s EDGE market, where Chase Young – who did carry major injury concerns – received $33MM guaranteed. Phillips hovers between these two in age, but his extensive injury past may place a cap on this market.

But with the NFL’s salary ceiling rising yet again, it would be hard to see this market settling south of $20MM per year. Last year, the Chiefs and Bills agreed to extensions (with George Karlaftis and Greg Rousseau, respectively) that included $64.8MM and $54MM in total guarantees. Phillips’ camp, representing a player who matches that duo with zero Pro Bowls, can aim for that range next week.

4. Trey Hendrickson, EDGE. Age in Week 1: 31

Among this market’s prime pass rushers, Hendrickson’s resume laps his peers. The Bengals sack ace finished back-to-back seasons with 17.5 sacks and has two more campaigns (2020, 2021) with at least 13. Hendrickson recorded at least 24 QB hits from 2020-24, topping out at 36 in managing to finish as Defensive Player of the Year runner-up on a bad 2024 Cincinnati defense. The Bengals appear set to lose their five-year defensive end cornerstone; this was preventable, but the team’s antiquated stand against post-Year 1 salary guarantees prevented an extension from being completed in 2025.

The Bengals offered Hendrickson a backloaded extension – three years, $95MM – last year but saw the disgruntled D-end reject it due to insufficient guarantee protection beyond Year 1. The Steelers’ T.J. Watt extension included full guarantees for the 2026 and ’27 seasons. Watt is more accomplished than Hendrickson, but he is also 31 and had tallied fewer sacks between the 2023 and ’24 seasons. The Bengals’ offer also trailed the Texans’ Danielle Hunter AAV of $35.6MM despite the latter being the same age with a similar resume.

Hendrickson agreed to a one-year, $21MM extension in 2023 in fear the Bengals would use the franchise tag on him in 2025. With the Tee Higgins saga lasting past that point, Hendrickson miscalculated that. He now resides in a similar situation to Haason Reddick.

Also starting slowly, Reddick joined Hendrickson as a 2017 draftee who broke through in a 2020 contract year. Both players signed $15MM-per-year deals – Hendrickson in 2021, Reddick in 2022 – they outplayed. Age became an issue for Reddick, whose 2024 holdout backfired, and it is worth wondering how much it will impact Hendrickson’s free agency.

Last year represented a clear window for Hendrickson to cash in – at 30 and coming off the two straight top-level pass-rushing seasons – but he was negotiating with a difficult adversary. And he underwent season-ending core muscle surgery after a seven-game campaign. That will dock Hendrickson’s stock, but by how much?

From 2016-25, there have been 79 10-sack seasons from players aged 27-30. In that span, only 17 such seasons exist from players aged 31-34. These are the years a Hendrickson suitor is acquiring. Among pure EDGE players, that age-31-34 sack number plummets to 11. Hendrickson should do well next week, but the decision to sign that Bengals extension in 2023 could cost him thanks to an injury-shortened 2025.

5. Rasheed Walker, T. Age in Week 1: 26

When the Rams and Ravens respectively took Alaric Jackson and Ronnie Stanley off last year’s market, Dan Moore Jr. benefited. A much-criticized Steelers tackle on his rookie contract, Moore became the NFL’s seventh-highest-paid left tackle at the time of signing. His four-year, $82MM deal – one that outflanked Jackson and Stanley’s pre-free-agency deals and Dion Dawkins and Garett Bolles’ 2024 extensions – represents a good guide for Walker, who received better reviews on his Packers rookie pact.

The Packers turned to Walker, a 2022 seventh-round pick, as their David Bakhtiari fallback option and saw him far outplay his draft position. Walker started 48 games from 2023-25, fending off first-round pick Jordan Morgan for the Green Bay LT gig. Morgan is poised to commandeer it (by default, as Broderick Jones did in Pittsburgh post-Moore), but Walker will cash in elsewhere.

Walker ranked 11th in pass block win rate last season and 14th in 2024. PFF was a bit less bullish due largely to the Penn State product’s run blocking. The advanced metrics site never ranked Walker higher than 40th overall among tackles. Similar skepticism did not derail Moore, and Walker will almost definitely do better than the $50MM guarantee Moore received from the Titans.

Seven LTs are on contracts that include at least $50MM in total guarantees. Not counting Will Campbell’s rookie deal, four more secured at least $40MM guaranteed. It would be stunning if Walker did not land at least $40MM guaranteed. Considering how rare it is that early-prime LTs hit the market – like the Steelers, the Packers used a first-round pick on a blindside successor (Morgan) – the former No. 249 overall pick will be one of this year’s FA winners.

6. John Franklin-Myers, DL. Age in Week 1: 30

The Broncos extended six players between late July and their bye week. After paying top-priority talents Courtland Sutton, Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto in camp, Denver turned to three other regulars – center Luke Wattenberg, defensive tackle Malcolm Roach and kicker Wil Lutz – during its bye. Franklin-Myers did not expect a new deal and has likely known what is about to happen on the market.

Although Franklin-Myers is approaching an age-30 season, the runway is clear for him to cash in. He is the best interior D-line option on this market – probably by a wide margin. After last year produced Milton Williams and other attractive interior D-line options, no one is rivaling Franklin-Myers – as of now, at least – in terms of unattached inside pass rushers.

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Tyler Linderbaum Aiming For $25MM Per Year?

By | at March 3, 2026 11:10 pm

The Ravens did not place a franchise or transition tag on Tyler Linderbaum on Tuesday, setting him up to hit the open market next week. He is expected to receive a massive contract, though perhaps not quite as much as he is seeking.

Linderbaum is aiming for $25MM per year in free agency, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who expressed some doubt that the Pro Bowl center could hit that number. However, his next contract still reset the center market – currently capped by Creed Humphrey‘s $18MM AAV – by a significant margin.

Baltimore has been working to re-sign Linderbaum, but he (and his agent) know how many teams need a center and will gladly pay a premium price to land the best one to hit free agency in years.

The Ravens need to improve their offensive line this offseason, not downgrade it, but they also need to address their pass rush – another costly venture – with a limited budget. Getting into a bidding war for Linderbaum would be out of character for general manager Eric DeCosta, who prefers to fill needs with value signings during free agency.

If Linderbaum does not re-up with the Ravens, he will likely be the most coveted player in free agency. Drew Dalman‘s sudden retirement brought another club into a center market that was already crowded with buyers. Linderbaum’s agent will be able to play teams’ offers against each other and drive up his price tags, but teams will have a limit. Though he is one of the league’s best run-blockers, he is not elite in pass protection. Teams are unlikely to pay him like a top offensive tackle at $25MM or more, though breaking into the high end of the guard market seems within reach.

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Ravens Likely To Pick Up Zay Flowers’ 5th-Year Option

By | at March 3, 2026 7:13 pm

The NFL released the official figures for the fifth-year options of players selected in the first round of the 2023 draft. Teams now have until May 1 to decide on those options for the 2027 season.

The most expensive fifth-year option from the 2023 draft class does not belong to a quarterback, as none of the three selected in the first four picks – Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, and Anthony Richardson – reached one Pro Bowl in their first three seasons. Young and Stroud only met the playtime requirements for the second-tier option, which comes in at $25.9MM for quarterbacks. Richardson did not even get that far, but his $22.5MM will still be a non-starter for the Colts.

Instead, Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers has the NFL’s highest price tag for his 2027 option. Pro Bowl nods in each of the last two seasons pushed him into the highest tier, but the Ravens are still expected to pick up his $27.3MM fifth-year option, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano. At the moment, that would be the 13th-highest AAV of any wide receiver, though more are sure to eclipse that figure in the meantime.

Flowers is arguably already worth almost $30MM per year. After strong performances in his first two seasons, he exploded in 2025 and ranked seventh in the NFL with 1,211 receiving yards and 11th with 86 receptions. He also recorded career-highs in yards per target (10.3) and passer rating when targeted (112.6). Flowers did all this despite missing Lamar Jackson for more than four games and the rest of the offense putting up their worst performance in years.

Currently, the receiver market tops out at Ja’Marr Chase‘s $40.25MM per year with seven other making between $30MM and $35MM annually. That will briefly drop to six once the 49ers part ways with Brandon Aiyuk but should soon shoot back up as players like Drake London, Chris Olave, and George Pickens sign long-term deals. By the time 2027 rolls around, $27.3MM will look like a steal for Flowers, especially if he takes another step forward under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.

Flowers’ fifth-year option will also establish a solid floor for a long-term extension, as players rarely sign long-term deals with a lower AAV then their fifth-year option. However, it also limits the amount Flowers can earn in the next two years to a little less than $30MM, including his 2026 salary. The Ravens can offer him a much stronger two-year cash flow with an extension later this offseason, and the money up front might incentivize him to make a deal.

The Ravens are typically a deadline team, so do not an expect an official announcement on Flowers’ fifth-year option until after the draft.

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Offseason Outlook: Baltimore Ravens

By | at March 2, 2026 11:05 pm

After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2021, the Ravens made arguably the biggest move of the 2026 offseason: firing longtime head coach John Harbaugh. He spent the past 18 years in Baltimore, compiling a 180-113 (.614) record with 12 playoff appearances and a Super Bowl victory. But Harbaugh could not bring another Lombardi Trophy to Baltimore in seven seasons with Lamar Jackson starting at quarterback, and owner Steve Bisciotti felt he had to make a change.

The Ravens then embarked on an exhaustive search process to find just the fourth head coach in franchise history. Led by general manager Eric DeCosta, the team interviewed 16 candidates with Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter emerging as the man for the job. Now, the two will work together to quickly bring Baltimore back into Super Bowl contention. DeCosta has a number of key contract situations to address, while Minter will be tasked with getting the most out of the current roster. The Ravens' top priority should be getting stronger in the trenches, the primary source of their on-field issues in 2025.

Coaching/front office:

Firing Harbaugh brought a major paradigm shift in Baltimore, a moment that may well define the franchise for years to come. A 1-5 start from a team with Super Bowl expectations would put most head coaches on the hot seat, but Harbaugh was not most head coaches. After almost two decades with the Ravens, during which time he developed close relationships with Bisciotti and DeCosta, he was thought to be untouchable. 

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Ravens Have Submitted Market-Topping Offer To C Tyler Linderbaum

By | at March 1, 2026 2:32 pm

MARCH 1: As ESPN’s Dan Graziano notes, many observers believe Linderbaum will manage to surpass $20MM per year on his next contract. Whether or not the Ravens’ top offer is that valuable remains to be seen, and in any case it could be surpassed by outside bids soon provided Linderbaum reaches free agency.

FEBRUARY 24: Aside from lowering Lamar Jackson‘s cap charge for 2026, the Ravens’ No. 1 priority is retaining Tyler Linderbaum. The top pending free agent at the center position (and many others) is in line for a massive raise regardless of where it comes from.

Baltimore made the expected move of declining Linderbaum’s fifth-year option last spring, setting up the need for a long-term pact to be worked out ahead of free agency. When speaking to reporters at the Combine on Tuesday, general manager Eric DeCosta made another unsurprising announcement by stating (via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic) the transition and franchise tags will not be in play in this case. Tags group all O-linemen together for valuation purposes, making them feasible for tackles but rare in the case of interior blockers.

That leaves a long-term commitment as the path forward with respect to Linderbaum, who is open to re-signing. DeCosta has been clear about a mutual desire existing for a new pact, and on Tuesday he made a notable but not unexpected revelation. The Ravens have submitted a “market-setting” offer to Linderbaum’s camp, DeCosta said (h/t Zrebiec). The top of the center market reached $18MM per year when Creed Humphrey signed his Chiefs extension in 2024.

The NFL’s salary cap saw another jump after that pact was signed, and a surge past $300MM is expected when the 2026 figure is finalized. That leaves Linderbaum as an obvious candidate to surpass Humphrey in terms of AAV. The Chiefs Pro Bowler secured over $50MM in new guarantees on his extension, with $35MM of that figure fully guaranteed at signing. It would stand to reason Baltimore’s latest offer surpasses each of those figures, but further details on the Linderbaum negotiations will be worth watching for in any event.

Daniel Faalele has operated as the Ravens’ starting right guard for each of the past two years, but he is a pending free agent. The team could also look to upgrade from left guard Andrew Vorhees as a starter, so losing Linderbaum on the open market would leave open the possibility of three replacements being sought out this spring. Baltimore will look to avoid such a scenario, but it remains to be seen if the ongoing efforts to work out a deal will be sufficient to reach an agreement.

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2026 NFL Offseason Outlook Series

By | at February 28, 2026 11:00 pm

Pro Football Rumors is breaking down how all 32 teams’ offseason blueprints are shaping up. Going forward, the Offseason Outlook series is exclusive to Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers, and that link provides details on how to sign up for an annual membership.

This post will be updated as more Outlooks are published.

AFC East

AFC North

AFC South

AFC West

NFC East

NFC North

NFC South

NFC West

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AFC Staff Updates: McSorley, Ravens, Raiders

By | at February 28, 2026 6:00 pm

Former backup NFL quarterback Trace McSorley has continued his transition to the coaching world. After working last year as assistant quarterbacks coach at his alma mater, Penn State, McSorley has earned his first NFL coaching job as an offensive assistant with the Bills, per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.

A former sixth-round pick for the Ravens in 2019, McSorley enjoyed a short career as a backup quarterback in Baltimore and Arizona. Over six years in the NFL, McSorley made one start in nine game appearances. He completed 48 of 93 pass attempts for 412 passing yards, one touchdown, and five interceptions in his career as a player.

With former offensive coordinator Joe Brady getting promoted to head coach, McSorley will join the team of coaches working with star quarterback Josh Allen in 2026. He joins newly hired quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree, who came over from Tennessee earlier this month, and newly promoted assistant quarterbacks coach Kyle Shurmur, who served as an offensive quality control coach in Buffalo last year.

Here are a couple other minor staff updates from around the AFC:

  • In Baltimore, the Ravens are reportedly set to add Matt O’Donnell to their staff on defense, according to Zenitz. Previously an assistant linebackers coach in Miami, O’Donnell is expected to assume the same role after following defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver to the Ravens.
  • Lastly, ESPN’s Seth Walder reported this week that the Raiders have hired Rohit Mogalayapalli away from the Texans. During his time in Houston, Mogalayapalli served as assistant director of special projects and game management. He now joins the fast-growing staff of new head coach Klint Kubiak in Las Vegas.
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